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www.mnnews.today/aurora-magazine Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
3
A few year s ago we celebr ated the Year of
Grace. When I read this, I kept it for 'First
Word' : "Grace has another side. It's mercy. If
grace is getting what you don't deser ve, mercy
is not getting what you do deser ve." (Brian
Stewart in The Maitland Mercury, 9 September
2015)
Pope Francis is inviting not only church folk,
but all people, to choose to be merciful. In the
official proclamation of the Jubilee, Pope Fr ancis
writes, "In the par ables devoted to mercy....
God is always presented as full of joy, especially
when he pardons....mercy is pr esented as
a force that overcomes everything, filling
the hear t with love and bringing consolation
through pardon." Mercy is a real option for
each of us.
As well as the Year of Mercy and the
celebration of 150 years of diocesan life, the
Dominican Order is celebrating 800 year s
of preaching the gospel. In aler ting me to a
Dominican reunion, cor respondent Ann Jeffries
wrote, "It is so important to have positive
stories showing people wanting to come
together to remember and acknowledge those
who showed us the way..."
On a practical note, as cards begin to ar rive,
you can contribute to Dominican works by
saving used postage stamps and dropping them
in to the diocesan offices .
In our living of Advent and Christmas, may
there be room for open hear ts and homes, and
oppor tunities to give, and receive, mercy.
OUR COVER
Es Collins, Lily Stevens (front) and Aaron Moon
cutting the centenary cake at St Joseph's Denman.
See story page 5.
Recently the members of the Aurora editorial
team shared our different approaches to
inter viewing and story writing. We are all
people who enjoy meeting people and telling
their stories.
Regular writer and wise man, Michael
O'Connor, reflected in a later email, "My
guiding principle is always, 'what is the hear t
of this story, and -- almost invariably the same
thing ! -- what is the good news contained in it? '
These considerations shape the questions I seek
to answer, and these answer s seem to stick in
my mind even when details do not."
As always, you will find stories with hear t in this
edition, as we make our way, as it were, toward
Bethlehem.
I am reminded of TS Eliot's "The Journey of the
Magi" --
A cold coming we had of it,
Just the wor st time of the year
For a jour ney, and such a long journey:
The ways deep and the weather sharp,
The very dead of winter.
At the time of writing, while our temperatures
rise, winter is approaching in the nor thern
hemisphere, the world is reeling from the Paris
tr agedy and refugees from Syria continue to
seek solace, security and a viable future. And
as the gospel reminds us, "The poor you will
always have with you..." (Mt 26:11).
All these challenging realities, I believe, sharpen
our celebr ation of Christmas, and invite us to
open our border s and our hear ts. Pope Francis
has declared an Ex traordinary Jubilee of Mercy,
the opening of which will be celebr ated in the
diocese on Sunday, 13 December at Sacred
Hear t Cathedr al. This will also be the launch of
the celebr ation of 150 year s since Bishop James
Mur r ay claimed St John's Church, Maitland, as
his cathedral. Everyone is welcome ! See page 7
for more details.
CONTENTS
FIRST WORD
PAGE 3
MY WORD
PAGE 4
100 YEARS OF ST JOSEPH'S
DENMAN
PAGE 5
DO WE HAVE A RICH
CHURCH?
PAGE 6
BLESSED ARE THE
MERCIFUL
PAGE 7
WHERE DID ALL THE
YOUNG MEN GO?
PAGE 8
CARETALK
PAGE 9
ONE BY ONE
PAGE 10
MARRIAGE: IT'S ALL IN THE
PITCH
PAGE 11
MY FAMILY VISITS THE
MOSQUE
PAGE 12
FAMILY MATTERS
PAGE 13
COOL POPE RESPONDS TO
WARMING PLANET
PAGE 14
THE CATHOLIC THING
PAGE 15
SEASONS OF GRACE
PAGE 16
EMBRACE THE SPIRIT OF
CHRISTMAS
PAGE 17
BRIGHT SPARKS LIGHT UP
CHRISTMAS
PAGE 18
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
PAGE 19
FOOD'S LONG SHADOW
PAGE 20
COMMUNITY
NOTICEBOARD
PAGE 21
LAST WORD
PAGE 22
FIRST WORD
WISHING
YOU SMALL,
AND NOT
SO SMALL,
MERCIES
Opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the Editor or Publisher. Acceptance of advertisements does not necessarily indicate endorsement of the product or
service. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.
AURORA is a member of the Australasian Catholic Press Association and the Australasian Religious Press Association.
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Next deadline 15 January 2016
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